L'Artisan Parfumeur
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Pink pepper crackles immediately against a juicy orange that feels almost tart, creating an almost peppery-citrus bite rather than radiance. The initial moments feel spartan, almost cologne-like in their briskness, before hints of leather begin surfacing beneath.
The fragrance settles into its true character as frankincense and iris emerge with dignified presence, transforming the composition into something smoky and almost ecclesiastical. Black pepper continues its conversation with the musk, creating a spicy-floral tension where neither note dominates, whilst the everlasting flower adds a faint, herbaceous quality that prevents the resinous notes from becoming cloying.
Coffee and leather become the narrative's anchors, with opoponax contributing a subtle, almost beeswax-like sweetness that never tips into gourmand territory. The patchouli deepens everything into a warm, earthy foundation, whilst benzoin adds a final whisper of vanilla-tinged comfort—though "comfort" remains relative in a fragrance this austere and unflinching.
Aedes de Venustas is a fragrance that refuses sentimentality, instead offering a austere meditation on spice and smoke. Bertrand Duchaufour constructs something deliberately shadowed here—the orange and pink pepper opening promises brightness, but the heart immediately pivots toward incense temples and leather-bound libraries. There's a penitent quality to the frankincense and iris combination, their floral-resinous weight counterbalanced by black pepper's sharp bite and an almost medicinal musk that keeps everything clinical, precise.
What distinguishes this scent is how the base notes don't sweeten or comfort, but deepen into something almost funereal. Coffee and opoponax create an unusual pairing—the coffee's bitter earthiness cuts through the opoponax's honeyed warmth, preventing any descent into amber softness. Patchouli and leather arrive like old tobacco leaves and worn suede, grounding the composition's spicy volatility into something grounded and contemplative. The everlasting flower, rather than adding floral prettiness, contributes a papery, slightly dusty texture that enhances the overall impression of aged materials: old perfume bottles, antique leather, incense ash.
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3.6/5 (270)